Stuff

    Subscribe to our newsletter

    What's Hot
    Disney+

    Here are the devices and platforms you’ll be able to stream Disney+ on from tomorrow

    May 17, 2022
    Pick n Pay Takealot

    Pick n Pay teams up with Takealot, so you get your groceries through Mr D

    May 17, 2022

    Sonos leaks suggest a new subwoofer is on the way

    May 17, 2022
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube SoundCloud
    Trending
    • Here are the devices and platforms you’ll be able to stream Disney+ on from tomorrow
    • Pick n Pay teams up with Takealot, so you get your groceries through Mr D
    • Sonos leaks suggest a new subwoofer is on the way
    • DJI may be working on a new first person view drone, made for the great indoors
    • Toyota’s first fully EV will come to South Africa in 2023
    • WhatsApp to launch the ability to silently slip away from groups you don’t want to be in
    • Apple’s rumoured folding device could use e-ink displays for its exterior screen
    • Fortnite’s Unreal Engine 5 Editor launch means players get to sell their creations for profit
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Stuff Stuff
    • News
      • App News
      • Business News
      • Camera News
      • Gaming News
      • Headphone News
      • Industry News
      • Internet News
      • Laptops News
      • Motoring News
      • Other Tech News
      • Phone News
      • Tablet News
      • Technology News
      • TV News
      • Wearables News
    • Reviews
      • Camera Reviews
      • Featured Reviews
      • Game Reviews
      • Headphone Reviews
      • Laptop Reviews
      • Other Tech Reviews
      • Phone Reviews
      • Tablet Reviews
      • Wearables Reviews
    • Columns
    • Stuff Guides
    • Podcasts & Videos
      • Videos
      • Stuffed
      • Stuffing Around
      • Tech Byte
      • T2S2
    • Win
    • Subscribe
      • Print
      • Digital
        • Google Play
        • iTunes
        • Download
        • Zinio
    • Stuff Shop
      • Shop Now
      • My Account
      • Downloads
    • Contact Us
      • Get In Touch
      • Advertise
    0 Shopping Cart
    Stuff
    Home » Stuff Guides » Windows keyboard tricks to improve your workflow
    Stuff Guides

    Windows keyboard tricks to improve your workflow

    Kajal PremnathBy Kajal PremnathJanuary 4, 2021Updated:October 1, 2021No Comments5 Mins Read
    keyboard
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    You’ve probably wondered how those hackers hunched over in black hoodies glide their fingers across their keyboards so elegantly? What if we told you, you can achieve the same level of coolness with but a few keyboard hacks that’ll definitely help improve your daily workflow. All you have to do is practice these pretty cool keyboard shortcuts.

    We’ve covered keyboard tricks for MacBook and Mac users, but we haven’t forgotten about our Windows fam. Check out these keyboard tricks will certainly help you shave off time off work here and there (P.S. wear a black hoodie and drink lots of coffee for the optimal hacker aesthetic).

    1. Apply high contrast: Shift + ALT + Print

    Sometimes the normal amount of contrast just isn’t enough and you need high contrast, because you live on the edge. Keep in mind that this shortcut opens a warning window before applying any changes, for good measure too. Not everyone needs high contrast. Anyway, Hit the combo mentioned above, click Yes or simply hit Return to switch to the high contrast setting.

    2. Rotate screen: CTRL + ALT + Up/Down/Left/Right Arrow

    This won’t work on every machine as it depends on your graphics card and video drivers. However, if it does work, it will rotate your desktop. It’s also the quickest way to play a trick on an unsuspecting victim.

    You can make this change permanent through display settings. Head to the Settings app (press Windows key + I) and go to System > Display. Here you can change the Orientation from Landscape to Portrait or a flipped (upside down) version of the two.

    3. Switch between open windows: ALT + TAB

    This keyboard shortcut launches a layover window that shows all open applications. Hold the ALT key and hit the TAB key to move to the next application. Release both keys to open the selected window. You can reverse the direction by holding ALT + Shift while pressing the TAB key.

    4. Delete without confirmation: Shift + Del

    We all hate these nagging windows that constantly pop up asking if we’re sure we want to do something. Most of the time we really want to do the thing. If you want to quickly delete something, without being harrassed for confirmation, use this shortcut, simply right-click the Recycle Bin on your desktop, select Properties, and remove the checkmark next to Display delete confirmation dialogue.

    5. Show desktop / restore open windows: Windows Key + D

    Keen on quickly checking your desktop… because… you kinda forgot what it looked like after a 12-hour crunch session? Fear not! Instead of moving your mouse into the bottom right corner of your screen to see your desktop, press this keyboard shortcut. Gotta get back into work asap? Press it again to restore your windows exactly as they were before.

    6. Lock system: Windows Key + L

    You should never leave your desktop unattended (for obvious reasons). Before you head out to the loo or to grab another coffee, press this keyboard shortcut to lock your system. When you return and log back in, all the open apps and windows will appear the way you left them.

    7. Shut down: Windows Key + X, U, I / U / R / H / S

    You can shut Windows down with a few button clicks. It all starts with Windows key + X to open the Quick Access Menu, followed by the U key to expand the shutdown or sign out options. Finally, press I to sign out, U to shut down, R to restart, H to hibernate, and S to sleep.

    8. Create your own desktop keyboard trick

    Are there folders or applications you need a lot? Why not create your own keyboard shortcut to quickly access these tools. Remember that this will only work for shortcuts located on your desktop.

    First, you need to create an actual desktop shortcut. In Windows 10, this has become a little more tricky. Right-click on the application in its program folder or send it from the Start Menu to the Taskbar and SHIFT + right-click its Taskbar icon, then select Create Shortcut from the context menu.

    Make sure the shortcut sits on your desktop. Now right-click the shortcut and select Properties. You should see a line that says Shortcut Key: None. Click that line and then click a letter on your keyboard, for example, P. This will create a shortcut, here CTRL + ALT + P.

    What about browser-specific keyboard shortcuts? Well, if you use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, then try these out:

    Jump to open tabs: CTRL + [Tab #1-9] — Rather than scrolling through all your open tabs, you can quickly navigate to a specific tab if you know its position. For example, clicking CTRL + 4 will jump to tab number 4 (from the left). With CTRL + 9 you will jump to the very last tab, no matter how many you have open.

    Move through tabs: CTRL + TAB or CTRL + Shift + TAB — Got too many tabs open for the previous shortcut to be useful? Like in Windows, you can use the CTRL + TAB shortcut to move through all of your open tabs from left to right. Add the Shift key to move from right to left.

    Close Tab: CTRL + F4 — A quick, mouseless way to close a tab.

    Open Closed Tab/S: CTRL + Shift + T — Did you accidentally close that tab? Restore it using this key combination.

    Scroll PageDown Or PageUp: SPACEBAR Or Shift + SPACEBAR — Give your mouse wheel a break and use the spacebar to move up and down a website.

    Toggle Full Screen: F11 — Quickly change into full-screen mode.

    browser featured how-to keyboard tips tricks Windows
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Tumblr Email
    Kajal Premnath

      Related Posts

      Smart TV Buyers Guide

      Buying a new smart TV? Here’s what you should look out for

      May 17, 2022
      NexCopy Main

      We got hold of some of NexCopy’s secure flash drives and attempted to bypass them

      May 16, 2022
      Disney+ Stonks

      Disney+ is on the way up, just as Netflix takes a little dip

      May 12, 2022

      Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

      In The Mag
      Stuff April-May 2022 Latest Issue

      In This Issue – The Smart Home (April-May 2022) Issue

      By Brett VenterApril 4, 20220

      It’s time for a brand-new issue of your favourite tech publication. The April-May- 2022 edition…

      2021 Wish List
      wish list Stuff Wish List 2021

      Stuff Wish List: for the tech impaired

      By Duncan PikeDecember 22, 20210

      Are you from the time before being glued to a smartphone was considered normal? Here’s…

      Wishlist DIY Stuff tech

      Stuff Wish List: for the DIY Diehard

      December 21, 2021
      Wish List Gearhead

      Stuff Wish List: For the petrol-soaked gearhead

      December 20, 2021
      outsiders

      Stuff Wish List: for the Outsiders

      December 17, 2021

      Latest Video

      Sonos

      SONOS Roam SL unboxing by Toby Shapshak

      March 30, 2022
      Mini Cooper

      The Mini Cooper SE Electric with Toby Shapshak

      March 18, 2022
      MSI Crosshair 15 Rainbox Six Extraction Edition unboxing

      MSI Crosshair 15 Rainbox Six Extraction Edition unboxing

      March 16, 2022
      Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Unboxing

      Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra unboxing with Toby Shapshak

      March 16, 2022
      Contact

      South Africa's Consumer Tech News Hub

      General: [email protected]
      Subscriptions: [email protected] or 087 353 1291
      Editorial: 072 735 2614
      Sales: 083 375 2418

      Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube SoundCloud

      Subscribe to Updates

      • Terms and Conditions
      • Privacy & POPI
      • My account
      © 2022 Stuff Group. Designed by Chronon.

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.